Taiwan sees no room for talks with China on proposed undersea tunnel

Taipei, Aug. 8 (CNA) Taiwan's Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said Wednesday that under the current circumstances, there can be no bilateral discussions on China's proposal to build an undersea railway between the two sides.

The proposal is part of China's consistent united front propaganda and was made unilaterally, the MAC said.

The MAC said there never were any discussions between Taiwan and China on the issue, and given the current state of cross-strait ties, there simply is no room for such talks.

China is proposing to build a connecting undersea railway between the two sides, even as it is intensifying its efforts to squeeze Taiwan's international space and to put military pressure on Taiwan, the MAC said.

Such actions clearly show Beijing's disrespect for Taiwan's position and are meant to confuse the public, the MAC said.

The Taiwan government is well aware of China's political intentions and will not dance to its tune, the MAC added.

China has proposed building a 135-kilometer undersea railway tunnel that would connect Pingtan, a free-trade zone in Fujian province, to Hsinchu in northern Taiwan, according to a report in the South China Morning Post on Aug. 6.

Given a completion date of 2030, the railway will allow shuttle trains to whiz through the tunnel at up to 250 km per hour, the Chinese paper said.